Federal prosecutors ask for pre-trial detention for St. Croix man charged in November shooting

ST. CROIX - Federal prosecutors have moved for the pre-trial detention of a St. Croix man charged with gun possession crimes in connection with a shooting in November.

Kirk Jordan, 38, appeared before District Magistrate Judge George Cannon on Tuesday morning to be advised of his rights on newly filed charges of the federal crime of felon in possession of a firearm and the local charge of unauthorized possession of a firearm. The charges are in connection with the Nov. 23 shooting of radio personality Marvin Goodwin, who was shot in the head.

Jordan admitted to police that he shot Goodwin, who still is recovering from his injuries, but said it was an accident.

During the hearing Tuesday, Jordan appeared before the court, dressed in a red two-piece Bureau of Corrections outfit and escorted into the courtroom by two deputy U.S. marshals.

He nodded to two of his supporters seated in the courtroom and greeted his public defender, Omodare Jupiter, who represented him for the preliminary hearing. Jordan advised the court that he could afford his own attorney and said he expects attorney Michael Joseph to represent him in the case.

Goodwin's mother sat alone at the back of the courtroom and began crying silently as Jordan entered and glanced at her, before focusing his attention forward to the proceedings for the duration of the hearing.

Cannon advised Jordan of his rights and proceeded to his arraignment, during which Jordan pleaded not guilty and requested a speedy jury trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams Henry informed the court that the prosecution was making an oral motion to detain Jordan at that time and that they would be ready to proceed with a detention hearing on Thursday.

Cannon set the hearing for 9 a.m. and advised Jordan that he should contact his attorney to prepare for the hearing. Cannon said Jordan will remain jailed pending the outcome of that hearing, and if the detention is granted, Jordan will remain jailed pending trial.

According to an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers said they were called to investigate the shooting at ABS Printery in Western Suburbs some time after 5 p.m. Nov. 23.

The affidavit filed in federal court claims just cause for the charges because Jordan had been convicted previously of second-degree burglary and third-degree assault stemming from domestic violence incidents in 2005.

His domestic violence convictions prohibit him from being able to obtain a firearm license or carrying a firearm legally in the territory.

Officers collected a Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun and a .40-caliber shell casing, a 9 mm shell casing and other items, concluding that two firearms were involved.

When Jordan was asked about the second gun, he initially told police that he had thrown it away, then later called his girlfriend to bring the firearm, according to court documents.

Jordan was arrested on local gun possession charges in December, but the federal charge, now coupled with the local charge, would mean significantly more prison exposure for Jordan if he is tried and convicted.

Police still have not been able to take a statement from Goodwin, so they have not yet completed the investigation or charged Jordan in connection to that November shooting.

Jordan's bail on the local charges initially was set at $25,000, and at the time, Magistrate Jessica Gallivan allowed Jordan to be released to the third-party custody of his sister.

Since then, Jordan was arrested with Johnny Encarnacion and charged with assault, reckless endangerment and gun possession in connection with a June 6 shootout in D. Hamilton Jackson housing community, during which two children were injured and property was damaged.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.